Scabbards: don't make 'em like they used to

[jbsaws]

Here's the scabbard that came on the xl auto I got today. It is masonite board, stitched with copper wire. They stitched it by starting at the tip, as they went back and forth towards the saw end they left blank spots on every other space, then filled them in on the way back to the tip. Did the same thing on top and on bottom.

That took time and dedication. It says a lot about the maker. There is a faded name that I can partially read on the scabbard. I'm going to try to track it down.

i859.photobucket.com/albums/ab152/jbjeeps/Homelite%20xl%20auto%20red%20and%20green/homelitexlautoredgreenscabbard.jpg

i859.photobucket.com/albums/ab152/jbjeeps/Homelite%20xl%20auto%20red%20and%20green/homelitexlautoredgreenscabbardtip.jpg

[dewaynep]

That's a work of art, really. You know what else they don't make like they used to? Dads and Grandpas. Time was, Grandpa would teach his grandsons about things like that while resting at the end of a long hard day of work. Grandsons didn't just learn that you need to take care of what you have, but they learned other lessons that could get passed on and used for other things. I doubt you would be able to find too many people out there today that would be able to make something like that, much less want to. Wow, I just found beauty in a chainsaw scabbard!

[jbsaws]

I think you're right Dewayne, that scabbard says a lot about the way our lifestyle and values have changed. Art? Absolutely! Folk art of the most basic and functional type. I have it hanging on the wall by it's wire and I enjoy seeing it there.

It also reminds me of 2 families I knew who moved to Idaho in the 1930's from the midwest to escape the depression/dust bowl. They had lost everything there and came here for a new start. They each had 160 acres and farmed it themselves for many years. I saw them make and use things like that all the time.

They knew the value of things.

They didn't throw anything away they might be able to use. For example, they would flatten soup and vegetable cans, then use them to patch buildings, tools, machines, etc.

Once I was tearing down an old building. They spent two days sitting in my yard with their hammers and flat pieces of steel. They took every nail out of every piece of wood, flattened them, put them in old paint cans, and took them home to use.

I wouldn't be surprised to find that the maker of this scabbard came from a similar background.

[dancbx]

Ditto